This game is dead, right?

[wayninja]

The original anticipated release date was 2013 if I'm not mistaken.  The last post about it was hopeful beta news almost a year ago.  Am I being a dick by proclaiming this project dead?

[GameDevChris]

Nope, it's almost ready for beta testing! We've been working feverishly the past few months to get a fully-playable build to our Kickstarter backers, and we're currently in the process of playing through with all 4 character classes and fine-tuning puzzles and dialogue.

The majority of the recent updates for the game have been posted on the game's Kickstarter page. If you're interested, you can check them out here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2112639455/mages-initiation-a-classic-sierra-style-adventure/updates

[Sacto916]

This project funded three years ago.     At this point I think it's reasonable to ask for a list of project milestones, milestone deadlines, and a release date for this project.  If such a project outline doesn't exist, then this game might very well be dead.   

[GameDevChris]

The problem is that even though we've set project timelines and deadlines etc. there are variables in the bug discovery and bug fixing process that skew those milestones way off course, making them effectively pointless, because they can never be adhered to in the way that people expect. As an example, we had intended for the game to go into beta testing around this time last year, but scores and scores of combat bugs were encountered in our internal play-tests, which pushed those plans way off course. Unfortunately, game development (and releasing a stable product) doesn't always work to an exact schedule, and this has pretty much been the case with every game we've released to date. Experience has taught us that it's always better to give general status updates, rather than solid deadlines, as when they inevitably aren't met, it just compounds things further. For that reason, we don't speculate on deadlines anymore.

I can say this though: Our immediate goal is addressing the last few bugs and figuring out the logistics of how to get the beta version (sans voices) distributed to backers. The game is 99.8% ready for beta testing, with only a couple of bugs and a small handful of graphical/music assets still awaiting completion. It really shouldn't be too much longer.

[GrandMasterJR]

I personally would have you guys take an additional 3 years and make a truly incredible game, then have it rushed and buggy and feeling unfinished. I'm glad you're taking the former approach to really polish the game! Excited to play the beta soon!

[dynamic1]

I'm guessing people who are claiming the game is dead are unfamiliar with Himalaya/AGDI's history? Lots of time taken to make a game, but they always deliver (even for FREE projects), and always deliver an incredible product. Please take all the time you need!

[GameDevChris]

Thanks, guys, but it HAS been in development a long time! Daniel wrote the first draft of the script waayyy back in 2008 (although development didn't start until mid-2009).

The Quest for Glory 2 remake and the King's Quest 3 Redux were our longest projects, both spending 8 years in development, and this game is now rivaling those. Time we started making moves to get it out the door, I'd say.

[bsnd]

So it's been almost a year since a post was made on this board and 7 months since a backer email update. Any news?